CAR SALES SINK

The cars registrations decreased 6,7% in October (57.278 units) in all regions except Baleares (+6.8%) and Canarias (+9.5%) Is the worst October since 1985 (only 45.000 units).

In the first 10 months of the year the sales of cars and SUVs in Spain go down in 19,7%

They are followed by four years in our country under one million in sales of cars per year.

GANVAM (National Association of Motor Vehicle Dealers, Repair & Parts ) says that the dealers only sell seven cars every week, 44% less than before the crisis.

Jon

THE BASQUE ECONOMY IS STILL SICK

The Economy and Finance Adviser of the Basque Government, Carlos Aguirre, has declared that the Basque Government does not hope a decrease of unemployed in Euskadi during 2012, but he hopes that the trend will change at the third quarter of the year. According to him, the unemployed will be about 10.8 per cent in 2012,; 0.3 per cent minus than in 2011.

These words has been said by him while he was presenting the budgets of the exercise 2012 for the Basque Country, which he hopes vote them at the Basque Parliament at 23 of December.

He has said that with these Budgets the government wants to create employ, giving warranty to the social services and help to the budget stability. He has defended that the Basque economy has gone out from the recession, but it is still very weak to create employ.

The Budget Project is about 10.449 millions €, a decrease of one per cent respect the budget of 2011. The consolidated budget will be an amount of 11.354 millions €, an increase of 0.5 per cent respect to the 2011 year.

He has noted that will be necessary to increase the public incomes to get stability the budget, and in this sense he has said that the Basque society has to do a bigger effort to get all goals for go out quickly from this crisis.

The Government is thinking to do something with the sale of publics property situated in Bilbao, Vitoria-Gazteiz and Donostia, and so to get more incomes for face this hard crisis.

Aitor

Trying to find solutions in Zarautz

The government team will begin tomorrow a series of meetings with neighborhood
associations to explain the situation and listen suggestions in Zarautz. The first meeting
is going to be tomorrow in the morning with one of the neighborhood of the town.

The principal aim of this is to explain the economic situation of the town and see first
hand the needs of each neighborhood to find solutions.

There will be two meetings per week, every Mondays and Thursdays from 19.30 to 21.00.
The first meeting is going to be tomorrow with the neighborhood association of Vista Alegre. Continuing with Mitxelena neighbors, Itxasmendi, Portu Azken, Kristau Biltoki Zaharra, Iñurritza, Etxezabala and the last meeting will be December 1 with Urteta's neighbors.

Mayor Juan Luis Illarramendi remarks:
"We want to explain the economic situation, receive suggestions of each neighborhood and set priorities among all. There is no money, but there are few resources and we must draw the line of action. In this regard, we appeal to all residents of the town to take part in these meetings.''








Janire

Georgia will accept the access of Russia to the WTO

Russian and georgian governments will sign a treath the next november 9th that will let Russia join the World Trade Organization (WTO). This joinment was blocked by Georgia.

Sergui Kapanadze (georgian vice-minister of foreign affairs) explained that both countries will decide some basics to choose the company that is going to control the administration of goods and duties. The last decision will be taken by Switzerland, country that has mediated in this conflict.

Kapanadze believes that the chosen company will satisfie both sides of the conflict.

Switzerland offered the international supervision of the tolls located in the separatist regions of South Osetia and Abkhazia. Georgia accepted inmediately this proposal, Russia did the same just some days ago. This proposal includes the electronic exchange of data about the merchandise movement between these territories.

The georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, said that this agreement is a “diplomatic win” of Georgia that decided to block the russian joinment in 2008. This block due to the war happened in 2008 august between Russia and Georgia. Russia had asked for joining the WTO since 1993.

Dmitri Medvedev, russian president, had asked Georgia to let the block off as a first step to normalise relations between both countries. Russia, the biggest economy out of the WTO, hopes that its application to join the organization will be accepted in December 15th.

Xabier

Economy of the Basque Country. From industry to turism.

The economy of the Basque Country, from Industrialization to 1970, has been dedicated to the industry. Blast furnaces, factories, shipyards ... giving 11% of the GDP for industry in the country, a high percentage.

From the 80's, the industry entered in a dangerous crisis and things changed. But it has been able to get out because it is currently one of the richest regions of the country.

Nowadays, with the Guggenheim, its beaches, its gastronomy and its landscapes the Basque Country have important revenue. The tourism. Rural tourism, cultural tourism, or sun and beach tourism have become important revenue for the region. For this reason has centered on tourism.


Nerea

THE LUXURY HOTEL MARIA CRISTINA WILL CLOSE ITS DOORS

The luxury Hotel Maria Cristina will close its doors during nine months after a very hard and long negotiation. The reformation will cost about twenty millions of euros, four of them will be pay by the city hall and the rest by Starwood, the company which management the Hotel Maria Cristina.

The main point will be the decoration, air condition, pipes and electricity. They are going to change all the furniture but keeping the belle epoque style with lilac, gold and turquoise colors. Other important point is the cooperation with the workers because they are going to be in a ERE throughout the renovation.

The people of Donosti are very glad for the invest of a large foreign company in one of the most important and old building of the city.

See you soon Hotel Maria Cristina¡¡

Beatriz

LAST DAY: A STEP FURTHER

This is our last day in Daruvar, Croatia. We woke up at 8:00 a.m. and we went to the library, near the city centre. There, we divided in groups, and we prepared some slideshows with the photos we took in different places of Daruvar two days ago. When we finished, we explained the slideshows to the rest of the groups. Then, the Croatian television came to interview us about the project. It was an excelent new experience!

We went to take a coffee before the lunch, that it was in a restaurant near the library. After the lunch, we had some free time before the dinner, so the croatian students propose us to go to the spa again. We went there, and we had a very good time with the rest of the students. We left the spa about five o'clock p.m. and then the croatian students told us to have a good time at night, to finish the experience.

We had dinner and we weared our best clothes to say goodbye to our students. We had a very good time at night in a bar in the city centre, but some people were crying when the party was finishing.

We finished at 1:30 a.m. aproximately, because on Saturday we had the bus to go to Zagreb at... 5:00 a.m.!

We all think that this was our best experience in our life. We made a lot of new friends, we show our city and culture to other countries with our project, and we improved a lot our english... and a little bit our croatian!

Thanks a lot for this fantastic experience!

One group of students preparing the slideshow.


ERIK RIOS SALAZAR